Hydraecia obliqua

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Hydraecia obliqua is a moth in the Noctuidae family. It was first described by Leon F. Harvey in 1876. The species lives in western North America, from the coast to the Sierra Nevada in California and the Cascade Crest in Oregon and Washington, with a separate northern population at Terrace, British Columbia.

Habitat and range
It prefers riparian areas along creeks and rivers in coastal rainforests, as well as oak savannas, mixed hardwood forests, and valley grasslands.

Appearance
The forewings are 16–24 mm long. They are warm orange-brown, with darkness ranging from dark brown on the California coast to lighter orange-brown in the Pacific Northwest and pale yellow-brown in the Sierra Nevada. The hindwings are pale with a yellow tint, usually showing dark veins and some gray shading near the edge.

Larvae and diet
Larvae probably bore into the stems and roots of herbaceous plants, and have been recorded feeding on Lupinus species (lupines).

Synonyms
This species has been named in the past as Gortyna obliqua, Gortyna ximena, and Hydraecia columbia.